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Florida’s Beaches Coming To Google Maps

Miami ranks as the best urban center to retire, according to a new study by NerdWallet. (Source: Getty Images)Miami ranks as the best urban center to retire, according to a new study by NerdWallet. (Source: Getty Images)

MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – People from around the world will get a new perspective on Florida’s famed beaches beginning next year.

On Wednesday, Visit Florida, the state’s tourism and marketing arm, began a four-month journey to capture the state’s 825 miles of beaches in 360-degree images.

These photos will be integrated into Google Maps and will be available to anyone around the world with Internet access.

Two-person Visit Florida teams were trained by Google Map experts to capture the images. The teams will walk about 50 miles of beach each week with a backpack that has a camera system on top. The camera has 15 lenses, angled in different directions, so it can capture a complete picture of a location. The images are then stitched together into a 360-degree panoramic photo.